A Prelude
by IrritablyCalmCanaries
Summary: AU, Murphy knows something's different about her and he's determined to figure her out. But can he keep his second life a secret from her? Written as a prequel of sorts to "Reconciliation." Murphy/OC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I just happened to be in the mood to write something and, not wanting to invest in new characters, I decided to revisit Sadie and Murphy from my one-off "Reconciliation." To be honest, I'm not really sure where I intend to go with this, but who knows maybe I'll get inspired to continue. Enjoy.

/

He still remembered the first time he saw her. It sounded cheesy and everything, but he did. He had seen her come into the bar, hair swept askew by the windy Boston night. Her struggle with the door had caused a ruckus, causing her entrance to be met with a few glared from the bar's patrons. The sheepish grin she gave the men as she smoothed down her dark brown hair caught his attention right away.

He remembered how she looked, standing alone at the entrance, looking all doe-eyed and nervous, her eyes searching the room for someone she knew. He was even close to pushing away from the bar to go talk to her when he saw her smile widen as she made her way over to a group of fellow 20-somethings sitting at a table in the corner. He subtly watched as she slipped her bag off her shoulder and sat down, where she was greeted by handsome all-American type who promptly rested his arm behind her shoulders. Murphy sighed and turned back to his drink and continued to pretend to listen to whatever Connor was rattling on about.

A few hours later and Connor was slumped against the bar having what seemed like a very serious conversation about something with Rocco and most of the patrons had filtered out of the bar to return home.

The girl's friends had all left except for male who was sitting far closer to her than Murphy felt he should. The young man leaned over to whisper something in her ear, his hand firmly on her shoulder, pulling her close to him. She stiffened, clearly trying to keep her distance from the intoxicated man. She smiled politely and pushed against him. She made a show of pulling back the sleeve of her cardigan and looking at her wrist (despite the fact she wasn't actually wearing a watch) and pulling away, clearly making some excuse to leave. She turned to the man, smiled, gathered her things, and went to stand. Seeing she was trying to leave, he drunkenly fumbled and grasped her wrist, trying to pull her back. She spoke to him and, again, smiled and made her way to leave. As she turned again, this time the man's hand grabbed her at her elbow, clearly grasping her skin with some force and pulled her back down. She pushed against his chest, she spoke firmly, and she dug her nails into his wrist, but he refused to be moved.

Now certain other memories of that night may be a little hazy, but Murphy distinctly remembered seeing her struggle from the corner of his eye. At that point he was already a couple beers and a few shots deep so he can't say he was completely responsible for what he did next. Without another thought, Murphy stood from the bar and made his way to the table in the corner. The two were so engrossed in their argument neither noticed him until he had forcefully grabbed the man by the back of his collar and lifted him from his chair. The chair screeched back and toppled onto the floor. Wordlessly, Murphy forcefully twisted the man's wrist behind his back, causing him to drop the girl's arm. Pulling the protesting drunk man below him by the back of his collar, Murphy swiftly escorted him to the door and pushed him out into the night.

Breathing heavily, Murphy turned back to the table in the far corner. He slowly made his way to the girl, standing and gently rubbing her arm. As he approached, she looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks," she mumbled, averting her eyes and gathering her things.

Murphy scratched the back of his neck. "No problem."

Giving him one last look, she brushed past him and exited the bar. And as he sat back down, Murphy could hear the telltale sound of a man being kicked in the stomach from just outside.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not really sure where this is going but I felt the need to write. To be honest, I enjoyed writing the characters more for just a one-shot but maybe I'll get inspired to continue this later. I don't know, tell me what you think.

/

The next time he saw her, he knew it fate and Murphy MacManus was not one to question the almighty decisions of the Lord above. Tired and reeking of the meat packing plant, Murphy welcomed the comfort of his usual barstool at McGinty's. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and lit it, then handed the lighter to his brother who did the same. Closing his eyes, Murphy took in a long inhale of smoke, feeling the tension in his shoulders start to ease a bit. He rested his elbows on the bar and rubbed his palms into his eyes. He really needed a drink.

And as if the angels had answered his pleas, he heard a soft voice from behind the bar, "Can I get you two anything?"

Murphy pulled his hands from his face to look at the woman before him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized she was the girl from a few nights before. She seemed to recognize him and her lips curled up into a smile.

"Hey, I know you! You're that guy from the other night, right?"

Murphy smiled a little and looked her over. She looked different. Instead of being dressed up with eye makeup and all that, she was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans with an apron tied around her waist. To be honest, he preferred her this way.

"Yeah, guess I am," he replied.

She placed her hands on the edge of the bar and leaned toward him. "Guess I owe you a proper 'thank you,'" she said. "Sorry I left so fast I really do appreciate what you did though."

Murphy smiled and replies, "No problem, love." He could practically feel his brother rolling his eyes. "Didn't think I'd see you around here after that, though"

"Yeah, well, I left my wallet here that night. I came back the next day to get it back and ended up with a job. Guess Doc saw how little money was in the wallet."

Murphy laughed. "I'm Murphy," he said, extending his hand to her.

"Sadie," she replied, shaking his hand.

Murphy heard his brother cough next to him. Rolling his eyes he added, "Oh, and this is ma brother, Connor."

Connor flashed his charming smile and went to shake Sadie's hand. He noticed Connor held onto her just a little longer than was normal, probably just to piss him off.

"Well, can I get you boys something to drink? First round's on me, you know for savin' me and all."

The brothers smiled and, in unison, ordered a pint of Guiness. Sadie giggled and shook her head as she moved down the bar to get their drinks.

Yeah, this was definitely Murphy's favorite bar.

/

Sadie readjusted her bag on her shoulder as she stepped out of the freight elevator. Her feet ached and she must have looked a mess from being at work all day, but she didn't really care. At least it was St. Patty's day. She made her way to the apartment door and raised her fist to knock, but stopped herself when she overheard the commotion that was going on inside.

From the other side of the door she couldn't make out what was being said, but she did hear the telltale sounds of men yelling (and most likely fighting) through their thick Irish accents. Sadie rolled her eyes and quietly turned the doorknob, nudging the door open slightly.

The scene she was granted with immediately made her burst out laughing. The Irishmen were on the floor, both only covered in towels around their waists, with Connor holding his brother in a chokehold. Murphy was making a futile attempt at getting away from his brother, blindly smacking him in the face with his entire palm. The sound of muffled laughter brought them back to reality and they both stared wide-eyed at the young woman leaning against the door jam.

Sadie smirked at them, folding her arms across her chest. "You two are just a pair of overgrown children."

Connor laughed and pushed himself off the floor. "Yeah, but you wouldn't have us any other way, right?" he said, walking over to Sadie and placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

She smiled and wiped the moisture from her forehead. "I don't know, I'm starting to rethink that."

Sadie moved into the apartment, getting a good look at the state of it. She toed a cube of ice with her boot and raised a questioning eyebrow at Murphy. He simply laughed and leaned back on the floor, folding his arms behind his head.

"So are you two going to tell me why there's ice all over your floor and why you're both wearing practically nothing?"

"Oh well, there was an incident involving Con being assaulted by a lovely woman and then a call from our mum," Murphy said nonchalantly from his spot on the ground.

Sadie, amused, asked "Oh yeah? How is old Ma Macmanus?" She carefully navigated around the ice on the floor to where Murphy was, offering her hand to help him up.

Connor groaned and sat on the threadbare couch. "Fuckin' insane as ever she is." He twisted the top off his beer and took a long drink from the bottle.

Sadie turned and smacked him none too lightly on the back of his skull. "That's your fuckin' mother, Connor." With a cheeky grin she took the bottle from him and took a sip as well. "And more importantly, what's this about you being assaulted? Big bad Connor MacManus got beat up by a girl?"

Murphy and Sadie shared a hearty laugh at Connor's angered expression. Murphy pulled the towel tighter around his hips and took a sip from the beer in Sadie's hand. Connor crossed his arms and practically sulked in the sofa.

"Yeah, well if she really was a woman I wanna see some papers or something. She must have just been pre-operative."

Murphy leaned in to Sadie and added, "Apparently big angry lesbians don't appreciate Con's sense of humor. Kicked him in the balls."

Sadie laughed lightly and sat on the couch next to Connor. "And you didn't fight back?" she asked, amused.

Murphy took a long swig from the bottle and swallowed. "Oh don't worry, I stood up for my dear brother."

Sadie looked to Connor, questioningly. He rolled his eyes and clarified, "He punched her."

"Murphy," Sadie chastised him. "your mum would be appalled if she found out you go around hitting girls."

Murphy shrugged. "Nah, she probably would have done the same. Plus, I don't hit girls. Like Connor said, we're not entirely sure she really was a 'she.'"

Sadie rolled her eyes and leaned back into the couch. "Well you two seem to have already had a pretty eventful St. Patty's."

Connor stretched and put his arm over the back of the couch. "Yeah, well, now we have something else to drink to tonight."

Murphy laughed, "Yeah, your pulverized balls."

Connor narrowed his eyes at him and launched himself at his brother, playfully pulling him back into a chokehold.

Sadie sighed and smiled at the two. Not many people have been so constant in her life, but she was grateful to have these two, despite all their bickering. She sat back and watched as they argued like children, having a moment of reflection on how her life had changed since knowing the MacManus brothers. Sure, it involved a lot more drinking and bar fights, but she really did love them. If she had been blessed enough to have siblings, she thought, she would want brothers just like them.

But not all of her thoughts toward the Irishmen were the type you should be having about your brothers. She couldn't help it. They were both chock full of Irish charm and handsome on top of that. Over the year or so she had interacted with them from behind the bar at McGinty's, she had seen her fair share of drunk women throwing themselves at the brothers, much to her dismay. But even through having girlfriends and one-night stands, the brothers still loved and protected her as if she were their own kin.

"You two better get dressed or the rest of the Irish in Boston will drink all the Guiness before we get to the bar."

The brothers stopped fighting, seemingly to think over what she had said, and then both got up and began to pull clothing from the various piles strewn on the floor. Sadie looked down at her shirt, stained from a long day's work. Smears of brightly colored paint covered her shirt, as well as some other unidentifiable art materials.

"Can I borrow a shirt from one of you two? The third-graders went a little crazy with the art supplies today." As much as she loved working with the kids, they could really be a damn handful. Who ever thought having to deal with drink Irishmen at a bar would be a picnic compared to a classroom full of glitter-loving children.

"Yeah, sure." Murphy threw her a faded black t-shirt. She held it up and looked it over. Murphy raised his hands in defense of his own hygiene, "It's clean, I swear."

Deciding it was better than what she had on, Sadie thanked him and made her way over to the other side of the flat, pulling the shower curtain to obscure the view. By the time she emerged, the boys had finally pulled on pants and were standing in the center of the apartment, shirtless and barefoot.

Sadie sat down on the nearest mattress and watched as they pulled on their shirts and boots, nearly in unison.

Murphy held his hand out to help her up with a smiling, "M'lady?"

Sadie grinned and looked warily at his hand. "You're not gonna punch me, are you?"

Murphy gave and exasperated sigh but pulled her up when she placed her hand in his. He curled his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the door where Connor was waiting for them.

/

A few hours and countless beers later, McGinty's pub was a lively, bustling haven for all of Boston's misplaced Irish (and people who drank as if they were Irish). At one point in the night someone had found a guitar from the backroom of the bar, tuned it up, and was leading the congregation of drunken patrons in a spirited rendition of "Whiskey in the Jar" with the help of another man keeping time on an improvised drum.

Murphy sat in his usual seat, leaning his back against the bar, sipping his whiskey slowly as he watched the scene before him. Sadie had joined the guitar player on the makeshift stage of a few overturned crates. Standing on one of the crates and wildly rattling a tambourine, Sadie belted out the lyrics to the Irish folk songs. She danced and laughed along with the crowd, looking as if she was having the time of her life. Murphy laughed to himself; she was probably going to regret this in the morning.

As the guitarist strummed out the last few notes of the song, the crowd burst into applause. Sadie gave a drunken curtsy and jumped off the crate. Laughing, she made her way through the crowd to the brothers sitting at the bar.

"C'mon, guys! You're Irish and it's St. Patty's, you should be doing some sloppy dancing and singing shanties or whatever you people do."

The brothers laughed at her slightly slurred speech. Sadie leaned heavily on Murphy's left side, latching onto his arm and pulling him into the crowd. She made a gesture to Connor to follow them, but he just shook his head and continued to sip his drink.

Murphy was pulled through the crowd of bodies to stand in front of the musicians. He reveled in the warmth of the woman pressed up next to him, her small fingers wrapped around his forearm. He looked down at her at his side and she smiled a big, goofy grin. She leaned her head against his shoulder and pulled him closer to her.

As the band started to play again, the guitarist motioned for her to come back and join them. Giving Murphy a soft smile, she released his arm and took her place back on the crate.

Murphy would be lying if he said he didn't miss the feel of her against him. He watched her from the crowd, seeing her lost in her full enjoyment of the moment. Her grin nearly split her face as she sang out loudly and shook her hips. Murphy crossed his arms over his chest and chewed on his thumbnail, engrossed in the display the woman was putting on before him.

She really was something else, he thought. He watched as she danced, her cropped brown hair flying wildly around her. The girl was smart and practical, but every once in a while he got to see this wonderfully free and happy version of her. Sometimes she really was fearless and he admired that.

His eyes trailed down her hips, admiring other parts of her. He couldn't help himself. He'd know her over a year and still got a little mad when the regulars flirted too much with her. He felt the need to protect her but she wasn't his. She wasn't anyone's. His eyes trailed up her legs to the flare of her hips as she twisted and sang with enthusiasm. Her slim arms extended from his T-shirt, which was probably 2 or 3 sizes too big for her. The sleeves hung low on her arms and the neck gaped a bit, but, wearing it, he thought she was beautiful.

"You gotta tell her, mate" Looking to his side, he found Connor offering him another beer. He gladly accepted it.

Trying to play innocent, he replied, "Don't know what you mean."

Connor rolled his eyes. Sometimes his brother could be so dense. "Just get it over with and tell her you fuckin' love her or I will for you, you idiot."

Murphy sighed and took a long drink from the bottle. "What if, ye know…" Murphy trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Connor smirked at his brother and nudged him with his elbow. "Nothin' to worry about. She loves ye too, I'm sure."

Murphy looked back at the band and locked eyes with Sadie. She smiled and winked at him, not missing a beat, and continued to lead the bar in song.

Murphy looked hard at the bottle in his hand and took another long swig. Connor looked at him with understanding, clapped him on the shoulder, and returned to the bar. After taking one last glance at the woman before him, he turned to join his brother.

Hours later, the music had died down and the bar patrons began to make their ways home. Sadie pulled on her coat and placed small kisses on the cheeks of Murphy and Connor, as well as a peck for Doc. Murphy stood, offering to walk her home, but she refused, saying they should catch up with their friend, Rocco. She gave a short hug to the hairy Italian, waved good-bye, and left.

The conversation around him resumed, but Murphy was still focused on the doors Sadie had just left through. He sighed and turned back to the bar only to hear the sound of the doors being opened again. He head whipped around, along with those of the rest of the regulars. His smile and sarcastic comment about girls not being able to keep track of their things died on his lips when he saw the figures of three very large, angry looking Russians in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just a short little update I decided to write while actively procrastinating. Let me know what you think.

/

From somewhere off in the distance, Sadie could hear a shrill, piercing noise, causing her to wake from what had been an otherwise very pleasant slumber. Sadie slowly pried her eyelids open only to immediately snap them shut again. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow.

"I am never drinking again," she mumbled into the pillow. Her head throbbed and the incessant noise still rattled around the inside of her skull, keeping her from going back to sleep. The ringing suddenly stopped and Sadie smiled and sighed with relief.

Her relief didn't last long, though. Not two minutes later, the ringing started up again. Cursing and groping wildly at her bedside table, Sadie found her phone, the source of all her morning pain and suffering. Without looking at the caller information, she answered the call with a grumbled "what," not even bothering to lift her head from its resting place on her pillow.

The Italian on the other end of the phone was saying something. It sounded important, she figured, since all he had really said was a long string of "fucks" and variations of the word. Groaning again, Sadie pushed the hair from her eyes and rested on her stomach, head propped up on her hand.

"Roc, you gotta slow down, I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, yawning. She looked over at the clock on her table that read that it was half past ten. She covered her eyes wearily and took in a deep breath.

"Shit, fuck, girl! They're in jail!"

With that, Sadie's eyes went wide. She hoisted herself off the bed, now fully awake and frantically began looking for clothing in the mess that was the floor of her apartment.

"Meet you at yours in 15." With that she snapped her phone shut and hurriedly pulled on the nearest articles of clothing she could find.

/

Rocco pushed his way through the crowd that was forming around the steps of the police station. Hidden behind the pile of clothes in his arms, he managed to easily slip through. Behind him, Sadie followed closely, hair still a mess from her abrupt wakeup call. A police officer near the door seemed to recognize him, gave him a grin, and helped him with the door.

Rocco made his way to the holding cells in the back of the station. Sadie slowed up a bit, realizing the state she must be in judging by all of the looks from strangers nearby. She ran a hand quickly through her short hair, smoothing it down, and adjusted the sweater she wore.

"You sure you're in the right place, miss?" Sadie turned to see a young officer, dressed full regalia, smiling widely at her. She took a confused look around her and fixed his gaze with a questioning lift of her brow.

"Friends of mine got into some trouble apparently. I guess they're staying overnight so we brought them some clothes."

"Oh, the brothers?" the officer asked. Sadie nodded. "Yeah, they're all over the news already. Some thing they did, yeah?" His smile seemed to wane a bit at the mention of the twins.

Sadie, even under the cloud of a hangover of epic proportions and anxiety about her two closest friends, couldn't help but notice how attractive the young man before her was. He was clean-shaven, showing a strong, defined jaw. His eyes were a pale green that easily held her gaze. She smiled nervously up at him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She extended her hand and offered with a sweet smile, "I'm Sadie."

/

"Fuck, I thought you two would be someone's bitch by now," Rocco laughed, handing the brothers the clothes he had brought them. Connor punched him playfully in the arm.

"Thanks for comin', mate," he said, looking over the fabric in his hands. After spending most of the morning being beaten or interrogated in his boxers, he was very grateful to see a pair of pants.

"Oh, and I almost forgot," Rocco said, pulling something from underneath his shirt. He pulled out the brothers' matching rosaries. Connor and Murphy immediately smiled, accepting their cherished rosaries and placing them to hand around their necks. Murphy gave Rocco a grateful pat on the back.

Rocco looked around him. "Where the hell did that girl go?"

Pulling on his jeans, Murphy asked, "Who do you mean?"

"Sadie. She came with me to see you guys. You're probably in for a good verbal assault."

Connor looked behind Rocco, his eyes falling on the girl in question. Her back was turned toward him, but he could see she was talking to a young police officer. He was casually leaning against the wall, smiling down at her. He could hear the light sound of her laughter over the hum of the station and saw her fidget with a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Looks like she got a bit distracted," Connor said, chuckling to himself. Murphy's eyes shot up from buttoning his jeans and looked in the direction his brother nodded toward.

"Who the fuck's Captain America over there?" Murphy spat out, annoyed. The man looked like a ponce with his ironed shirt and stupid policeman's hat.

Connor just laughed at his brother and rolled his eyes, finishing up the buttons on his jeans. Murphy watched as Sadie shook the man's hand and turned away, smiling sweetly. As she walked toward the cell, she looked back to the man and gave a little wave. Murphy's eyes narrowed as he watched the man blatantly stare at Sadie's retreating form.

When she caught sight of them, Sadie started walking a little faster, a broad grin on her face. Pushing her way into the cell, she abruptly threw her arms around the twin, pulling them both close. Connor gave Murphy a relieved look and the two embraced the girl in their arms. Pulling back, Sadie raised her arm and forcefully slapped Murphy's chest.

"You fucking idiots! What the hell were you two thinking?" Murphy rubbed his chest and gave a weary look to his brother. Apparently they weren't going to get out of it that easily. Sadie's fist connected with Connor's arm, causing him to cry out in pain, cradling his injured arm.

"Sade, it was self defense," Connor offered.

Her eyes went wide. "You jumped off the fucking roof, Connor! You could have been killed! Both of you!"

Still rubbing the spot she had hit him, Murphy said, "Well I definitely would have been killed if it weren't for Con here."

Sadie let out a resigned sigh. "Yeah, Bryce told me what happened."

Confused, Rocco asked, "Who the hell is Bryce?"

Sadie blushed a bit. "Oh, that police officer I was talking to. He told me what happened."

Connor gave a smirk, "Oh, that police officer you just met who you're already on a first name basis with?" Sadie narrowed her eyes a bit, grinning, and slapped him on the arm again. Connor let out a dramatic "ouch" and smiled back at her.

"_Bryce_," Murphy scoffed under his breath. What a stupid name.

Sadie looked down at her feet and chewed on her bottom lip. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you were just protecting each other. But would it kill you two to be a bit more careful? Don't think I don't know about what you did to those Russians last night."

Connor and Murphy both gave sheepish looks, as if they were being scolded by their mother. Hell, sometimes it felt like Sadie was their mother.

She let out another sigh, "But, that being said, I have to admit I'm pretty impressed. I mean, you did jump off a roof to save your brother."

"Hey, I wasn't completely helpless," Murphy said, trying to defend his honor.

Sadie laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "Yeah, don't worry, I heard about the heroic rescue of Connor here after he took his foolish leap of faith."

Connor huffed a bit. "Point is, I'm just glad you're both fine." She pulled Connor to her for a hug, then Murphy. They said their goodbyes and Sadie and Rocco left the cell, where they were greeted by catcalls from some of the other inmates. As Rocco stopped at one of the cells to chat with what seemed to be an "associate" of his, Sadie turned back to smile at Murphy. He rested his forearms on the bars of the cell and gave her a wave as she turned and left the station.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Angst-alert! I actually didn't mean for it to get all angsty but it did. Sorry. Oh well, let me know what you think, good, bad, or ugly (or all three). Hell, you don't even have to sign your review. I just want to know if anyone is actually reading this. Or wants to know what would happen. Oh well.

/

Murphy shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from shaking. His heart was racing and the reality of his new "calling" was finally beginning to set in. They had planned and gathered supplies, now it was just a matter of waiting. But despite that fact that Murphy was a bundle of nervous energy, a significant part of him was excited. He felt a purpose had been given to him, a purpose that would benefit others. He felt as if simple things no longer mattered

But, or course, she would never be considered a simple thing. Murphy stopped in his tracks outside her building. He looked up to find her window open up on the fourth floor, soft light filtering out into the night. Distractedly, Murphy pulled his thumbnail between his teeth, chewing nervously as he thought. An hour ago, he has felt invincible. Now he was just a nervous teenage boy. While he had faith in himself and his brother as well as in the fact that God would guide them safely through their mission, Murphy knew that tonight could indeed be his last.

A short, elderly woman walking up to the building, arms full of shopping bags drew him from his thoughts. She unlocked the door and he held it open for her. The woman gave him a kind smile as she passed him and Murphy quietly made his way into the building after her.

He bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time, afraid he would lose his nerve if he didn't. Reaching her landing, he stood at her front door, again struck with hesitation. Murphy bit his bottom lip, forcing himself to lift his fist to knock on her door.

He waited, the sound of the knock resonating in his ears. He felt as if his heart would beat out of his chest. A few moments passed, the silence unbroken. Hesitantly, he knocked again. Again, nothing, His heart fell slightly and he sighed, turning back toward the stairs. As he turned, he heard the scrape of metal and the turn of a lock as Sadie opened the door behind him.

"Murph? Hey, I thought I heard someone knock," Sadie said, sounding slightly out of breath.

Murphy turned back to her with a smirk, about to make a comment about how she was always late. As he faced her, though, the words died in his throat. She wasn't looking at him, but concentrating on pulling off a high-heeled shoe from her foot. His eyes scanned up her legs to find her in a simple black dress. He always liked the way that Sadie dressed, clean and feminine, but this was something new. The skirts of her dress flared out from the waist, falling softly around her knees. The top of the dress was tight, black fabric wrapping around her slim waist and accentuating her small bust, held up with thin black straps. He watched her closely as he bent over to pull the shoe from her foot, noticing the smoothness of her pale skin under the dark black fabric. His mouth suddenly felt suspiciously dry.

Sadie blew the hair out of her face and looked up at him. "Murphy? You okay?" She straightened, throwing the shoe off to her side.

Murphy shook his head. "Yeah. Um, yeah, of course. Can I come in?"

Sadie smiled softly at him. "Of course.' She opened the door wider and walked barefoot into her kitchen.

Murphy looked around her apartment. He had been there before, but not nearly as many times as she had been to his home. She was a fairly private person and every time she allowed him into her a[artment he felt a rush of pride in the fact that she trusted him enough to allow him to see this part of her life. Everything about her apartment made him think of her: the soft lights, the smell, the colorful paintings that hung on the wall, her comfortable blue couch.

"What's up?" Sadie asked, pulling a glass from the cabinet above her head.

Murphy closed the door behind him and hesitantly wandered further into her home. "Not much, just came by to say 'Hi.'"

She lifted an eyebrow at him, filling the glass with water. She silently gestured at the glass, offering it to him. He shook his head. Sadie shrugged and tilted her head back, drinking down the water. Murphy leaned against the opposite side of her kitchen counter, eyes fixed on her pale neck as she drank.

When she came up for air, she smiled at him and placed the glass on the counter. "You decided to come over to say 'Hi' at 10:30? What's up, Connor bring a girl home?"

Ignoring her question, Murphy asked, "Why you all dressed up tonight? Knew I was coming over?"

Sadie laughed and looked down at herself. Playing absentmindedly with the fabric of her skirts she replied, "Oh, I had a date tonight."

Murphy's face instantly fell. "Oh yeah? With who?"

Sadie sighed and leaned against the counter in front of her. "Remember that cop from the station the other day? Went out with him."

Murphy, bitter, leaned his elbows on her counter and let out an irritated grunt. "That prick?"

"Hey, he's not…_that_ bad." Murphy looked up to see her biting the inside of her cheek.

"Didn't go well, I take it," Murphy asked, his smirk returning.

Sadie sighed and pulled herself to sit on the counter, leaning her head against the wall. "He was nice enough. A little arrogant, though. He actually tried to order for me at the restaurant. Then when I was talking to him about my artwork he went off on this tangent 'explaining' Dadaism to me as if I had never heard of it before. I'm pretty sure he thought I was an airhead."

Murphy laughed, making his way around the counter, leaning against the side opposite from Sadie.

"I hate it when men talk to me like that, like I'm an idiot."

Murphy scoffed, "Ye know you're not."

She looked up at him through her hair, "I know. And I told him that, right before I stormed out of the restaurant and walked home."

"Ye did what?"

"Yeah, in retrospect I should have waited until he has driven me home before I told him off, my feet are killing me." Sadie pulled her legs underneath her on the counter, rubbing the flesh of her feet.

Murphy knit his eyebrows together, "Sadie, ye can't walk around Boston alone at night."

Sadie's smile fell. "Oh great, now even my best friend's going to tell me what I can and cannot do. Really, I'm glad I have you men in my life, otherwise I just wouldn't know what to do."

Murphy crossed his arms across his chest. "Ye know what I mean."

Sadie pushed herself off the counter to stand across from Murphy in the small kitchen. "Oh do I? Because I'm just a silly woman, apparently I don't know what's good for me."

Sadie pushed her way past Murphy toward her living room. Without thinking, Murphy closed his fingers around her upper arm, pulling her back to lean against the counter.

She looked up at him with such malice that Murphy immediately dropped him hand from her as if he had been burned. She shook her head at him and pushed against him, this time with force. He allowed her to pass him and watch, defeated as she made her way to her bedroom.

"Sadie, shit, I'm sorry," Murphy called after her, immediately following her. He leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom, too scare to cross the threshold. He crewed nervously at his thumb, watching her closely as she took off her earrings and angrily threw them on her dresser.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Is it really so much to ask; to want to be equal to a man, not submissive? Is that too fucking much to ask of a man?"

Angrily, Sadie sat on the edge of her bed, face in her hands. Seeing her hunched over pulled at Murphy's heart. Quietly, he made his way over to the bed, sitting down next to her and resting his elbows on his knees.

He lightly pushed the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Softly he whispered, "Sadie, look at me."

Slowly, she drew her hands back from her face and turned her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes were lightly glazed over.

"Sadie, I care about you. Of course I respect ye and know you could easily kick my or anyone else's arse if you're angry enough, but that won't stop me from worrying about you."

Sadie let out a soft laugh and looked down at her feet.

Murphy continued, "That's what I came here to tell you, you know. Sade, you're one of the most wonderful people I've ever met.

Sadie looked up at him, brow knitted in confusion.

"I admire ye so much, my dear." He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, reveling in the softness and gentle heat of her skin.

Concerned, she asked, "Murphy, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

Calmly Murphy just shook his head and answered, "No." He started into her deep brown eyes, full of concern and worry now. Without thinking, he pulled her lips to his, kissing her lightly.

He hadn't meant to kiss her. He just wanted to get in, tell her how he felt, say a nice good bye, and get out. He should have realized it wouldn't have been that easy.

Murphy felt Sadie sharply inhale against his lips in surprise. Even more surprisingly for him, she melted under him, pulling him more forcefully toward her. His lips pressed against her, trying to tell her everything he wanted to but couldn't. She tasted sweet and he felt lightheaded. Pulling away, Murphy placed one final kiss to her lips and met her eyes.

"I should go," he said, standing from the bed.

Behind him, he heard her protest, but purposefully made his way to her door. He grasped the doorknob and turned, pulling the door open slightly. Sighing, he turned to look back through the apartment to see Sadie where he left her, silently begging him to explain what had just happened. Her eyes implored him to stay. Her lips were deep red and she had a beautiful, healthy blush across her face. As much as he wanted to go back to her, he softly said, "Goodbye, Sadie," turned, and left.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I was on a roll, so here's a short little update.

/

Murphy leaned back in his chair and sighed, content. He watched as Rocco, sitting across from him at the table, blew a smoke ring into the face of his grey cat. Connor leaned over and drunkenly clapped Murphy on the shoulder.

"We did good today, brother," he said, grinning stupidly.

Murphy laughed. "Yeah, that we did."

The cat mewled softly and turned away from Rocco, moving itself to sit on the table in front of Murphy. He scratched the cat lightly behind its ears.

Their laughter calmed for a moment, each lost in thought. The cat purred as Murphy stroked the fur on its head, calming his drunken and adrenaline addled mind.

The sudden sound of a knock at the door made him jump. He looked at his brother, who had instinctively reached for his gun. Concerned, Murphy slowly reached for his gun as well, placing it to rest on his knee under the table.

"Shit, should I answer it?" Rocco looked just as nervous as the twins.

Connor thought for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. "I don't know. Let's wait, see if they just go away."

Of course they didn't. The banging persisted. From behind the door, they could hear a young woman yell, "I know you're in there, Rocco!"

Realizing the "threat" was only Sadie, Rocco got up to open the door. As he did, the twins did what they could to tidy up, hiding their guns and pushing some of the beer cans out of the way.

Rocco opened the door to find Sadie nervously shifting her weight between her feet. She was bundled up against the cold March night, a knit hat covering her hair.

"Hey Sade." Rocco greeted her with only a slight opening of the door. She tried to peek her head into the apartment, but he moved to block her view.

"Roc, is Murphy here? I really need to talk to him. I went to their place but it's all wrecked and he was over last night acting all strange and I've just been so worried all day."

Rocco scratched his beard in thought. "Hmm, Murphy? I dunno, maybe I've seen him."

"Rocco, it's not funny! What's going on, I know you know!" Sadie jabbed a finger into his chest accusingly.

Hearing the exchange, Murphy got up and made his way to the door. Pushing Rocco out of the way, he opened the door fully.

"Oh thank God," Sadie said, relief clear on her face. "I thought something had happened to you."

Connor stretched and called, "What, ye not worried about me, love?" Murphy threw a glare at his brother from across the room.

Sadie looked around Murphy to give a slight smile and a wave to Connor. Rocco had joined him back at the table, opening yet another can of beer and finishing off the last of the pizza.

Hushed so that only he could hear, Sadie said to Murphy, "Can we talk for a minute?"

Murphy looked at her with concern. "Yeah, of course." He stepped out into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind him.

Sadie pulled the hat from her head, shaking her short hair out. Murphy noticed the slight blush on her cheeks from the windy night and watched as she rubbed her hands together to warm them.

"Murph, what the hell is going on? You come over last night and…you just leave? I was worried all day that something had happened to you and then I saw what happened to your apartment? Why didn't you tell me what's going on?"

He opened his mouth to explain but she cut him off. "And last night? God, I didn't want the last thing I said to you to be angry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, I know you're just concerned."

She moved closer to him, tucking her hat into her back pocket. "I get it. I get that every time I do something stupid you must feel the same worry I did today." She rung her hands nervously, not meeting his eyes. "But…the thing that scared me most was the thought that you could be dead in a ditch somewhere and I had never…"

Sadie's words trailed off softly. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I never told you how much I love you."

Murphy felt his heart nearly stop for a moment. With a shaky hand, he lifted Sadie's chin, forcing her to look at him. She opened her eyes, now filled with tears. She tried to look away, ashamed, but he held her gaze.

"I wanted to say the same thin' last night." With that, Sadie looked up, her eyes searching his face for any indication that what he was saying was anything less than the truth. Swiftly, she reached up and pulled him toward her, her lips pressing eagerly into his.

Sadie ran her cold fingers across his neck. He grabbed the fingers of one hand within his and held them tight for warmth.

Unsatisfied with the pace, Sadie insistently pulled at the hair on the back of Murphy's neck, pulling him closer to her. He let her fingers go, his large hands finding her hips and pulling her body closer to his. Taking over, Murphy pushed her small body up against the wall of the hallway, firmly pressing his hips into hers.

Her breath was ragged and shaky against his ear. She softly moaned his name as he brought his fingers up to skim up her sides and over her ribs. He gently pressed his palm against her breast and traced the line of her collarbone with his fingertips.

"Oh, Murph," she whimpered, pressing into his touch.

Kissing his way down her neck, Murphy was suddenly stopped by a loud 'bang' from the apartment inside, followed by screaming.

Their eyes were both wide in panic. Murphy quickly pressed a kiss to her lips, mumbled a quick "I have to go" and disappeared into the apartment.

Sadie leaned against the wall and sighed, a stupid grin across her face. Not even the yells of the men in the apartment could break her from her trance as she happily made her way down the stairs and out the building, back into the cold Boston night.


End file.
